PROBLEM
In response to a variety of changing circumstances over the last 15 years, state and local health agencies as recipients of Title V/MCH Block Grant funds, have been actively engaged in making the transition from the delivery of personal health services to carrying out the core functions of public health. In order for state and local MCH agencies to successfully carry out the core functions of public health and the associated 10 essential public health services, there must be a parallel effort to increase the capacity of these agencies to successfully collect, analyze and generate information based on data to be used for program planning, policy development and advocacy. One of the key strategies among a variety of efforts carried out by the federal government to enhance this analytic capacity in state and local health agencies has been the hiring and placement of MCH epidemiologists in state and local health agencies.
Recent needs assessments related to the field of MCH epidemiology reveal that state and local health agencies consider MCH epidemiologists an essential part of their workforce. According to state and local health agencies participating in a variety of recent surveys, the need for MCH epidemiologists is a top priority. In response to the need for increased MCH epidemiologic capacity, the Maternal and Child Health Program in conjunction with the Epidemiology Program at the University of Illinois School of Public Health (UIC-SPH) implemented MPH and PhD degree programs in MCH Epidemiology in the Fall of 2000.
Doctoral students participating in the PhD in MCH Epidemiology at UIC-SPH are eligible to receive financial support through the Doctoral Awards for Enhancement of Epidemiology Training Program for the period July 1, 2003 through to June 30, 2006. Recipients of these awards conduct an applied MCH epidemiologic analysis as the focus of their dissertation research, utilizing data from a state or local public health agency.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Goal: To maintain and expand a doctoral program in MCH Epidemiology that attracts and graduates high quality students.
Objectives:
1) To recruit and provide financial support in Fall 2003 for two new students beginning a PhD in MCH Epidemiology at UIC-SPH.
2) To recruit and provide financial support in Fall 2004 for one new student to begin a PhD in MCH Epidemiology at the UIC-SPH.
3) To recruit and provide financial support in Fall 2005 for one new student to begin a PhD in MCH Epidemiology at the UIC-SPH.
4) To provide financial support in 2004-2005 for two doctoral students already enrolled in the MCH Epidemiology program.
5) To provide financial support in 2005-2006 for three doctoral students already enrolled in the MCH Epidemiology program.
6) To provide high quality academic supervision to at least one (continuing) doctoral student who is conducting his/her dissertation based on the analysis of state or local public health data in 2003-2004.
7) To provide high quality academic supervision to at least two (continuing) doctoral students who are conducting their dissertations based on the analysis of state or local public health data in 2004-2005.
8) To provide high quality academic supervision to at least two (new and continuing) doctoral students who are conducting their dissertations based on the analysis of state or local public health data in 2005-2006.
9) To increase faculty-agency collaboration as part of the supervision of doctoral students who are pursuing applied MCH epidemiology research as their area of focus during 2003-2006.
10) To ensure that all doctoral students receiving MCH epidemiology doctoral support attend at least one MCH Epidemiology Conference (MICHEP) during the course of their doctoral training.
METHODOLOGY
Over the period 2003-2006, four new doctoral students will be recruited into a PhD in MCH Epidemiology through either the Maternal and Child Health Program of the Community Health Sciences division, or the Epidemiology Program of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics division, of UIC-SPH. Recruitment methods include routine posting of announcements on the UIC-SPH Website, advertising through relevant listservs, and distribution of brochures at related conferences.
MCH Epidemiology doctoral trainees receive funding support from the Doctoral Awards for Enhancement of Epidemiology Training Program and are supervised by appropriate faculty from both divisions. They follow a curriculum that emphasizes the application of high level analytic skills to the activities of the MCH planning cycle, including needs assessment, planning, and evaluation. In addition to advanced biostatistics and epidemiology methods courses, they are required to take several courses focused on reproductive, perinatal or pediatric epidemiology and a newly developed course, Advanced Applied Methods in MCH Epidemiology.
MCH Epidemiology doctoral students are required to conduct their dissertations using state or local health agency data with the expectation that supervision of these students by faculty in partnership with agency staff will increase academic-public health agency collaboration. During the course of their training, MCH Epidemiology doctoral students are also required to participate in a variety of activities designed to expose them to the current practice of MCH epidemiology.
COORDINATION
As part of this project, the MCH Epidemiology program at UIC-SPH works closely with local, state and national agencies involved in supporting and expanding the blossoming field of MCH Epidemiology. The program’s key faculty are actively involved in national efforts underway to strengthen the MCH epidemiology field including participation in the National Action Alliance, the Graduate Student Internship Program’s (GSIP) Advisory Committee, the National Awards for Excellence in MCH Epidemiology, and the MCHB/CDC National Training Course in MCH Epidemiology. Doctoral students receiving funds through this program attend at least one annual MCH Epidemiology Conference (MICHEP) during the course of their training and participate in other activities to connect them with the field. Faculty and staff of the UIC-SPH assist students as they work with state and local public health agencies in the conduct of their dissertations.
EVALUATION
MCH Epidemiology program faculty and staff track recruitment efforts, the number of inquiries made about the program, the number of students admitted, the number of students who actually join the program, the number of students who attend the MICHEP conference each year, as well as the number of MCH Epidemiology activities offered each year. Interactions with state and local health agencies in pursuit of research questions and the type of research question chosen by the student in collaboration with the agencies are documented. Future placement of graduates in MCH epidemiologist positions and the number of peer-reviewed publications based on dissertations will also be documented.
ANNOTATION
The purpose of this project is to obtain funding support for doctoral trainees whose research and dissertations will be conducted using state or local public health agency data. Students receiving such support participate in a PhD program in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology available through two divisions of the University of Illinois School of Public Health. This program helps address the national need for doctorally trained MCH epidemiologists in state or local health agencies.
KEYWORDS
Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology; Training; State Health Agencies; Local Health Agencies; State Programs; Local MCH Programs; Public Health Doctoral Students
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